We are going to take a step back for a minute... For some it may be a lateral step. At any rate, it is interesting after all these years; all the effort; all the attempts at education; all the successes; all the....; and still we find ourselves still struggling and discussing, looking for consensus; looking for permission; sometimes looking for "absolution"; but most of all looking for the Value we all know is there regarding approaches to getting real value from the K-topic. Do not interpret this entry as a "throw up your hands", "give up", or "it is all hopeless, so why try". The point of this step back is to illustrate that when all is said and done, all of this is about the Human Being. We can have the greatest process ever created; the most fantastic proven method; the greatest technology at our fingertips; the very BEST of the very BEST of Best Practices; but all of that is for naught if our behavior (individual & organizational) falls short. In the end, it is completely and solely about Human Will & Commitment. Now for that "promised step back": Knowing that most of you have some experience raising children, you know it is difficult to watch them make the same mistakes you did, as it was for your parents to watch you. The cycle always appears to continue from generation to generation. It is much the same in business, as people solve and re-solve the same problems repeatedly. People learn, but in most cases, the knowledge remains with the individual or buried within a document, and is lost from the company collective. There is always the constant desire to enhance and optimize the Corporate Memory. There is a very valid premise here that presents itself consistently... People, as individuals, learn well; but the collective (group, organization, etc) appears not to learn as efficiently. I will leave the debate to the psychologists and sociologists. My point here is not to raise a debate, but to illustrate the fact that history shows that action is related to individuals. Most of the time, a collective is dependent upon a Leader, good or bad. That said, with technology moving so fast coupled with workforce turnovers, economic downturns, merger activities, et al, there is more need to focus on achieving more value-add than ever before. Corporations worldwide are realizing more and more what an impact this loss of knowledge has on the bottom line, and are looking for solutions. The developing trend is not that "Knowledge has Value". We know that! This arena has gone beyond "developing trends". The industry has come to a mandate. That mandate is comprised of ACTION. The same message is resounding through and across diverse industries and disciplines. Stories vary, but the needs are the same; to get more value from artifacts, from content, from processes, etc. The stated needs, being so obvious for so very long, now need to be acted upon. * Of course we have to capture and reuse knowledge. * Of course we have to improve margins. * Of course we have to collaborate, control, and manage better. * Of course we have to improve cm, and crm * Of course we have to improve accountability * Of course we have to address compliance, internal and external * Of course we have to [fill in the blank... there are a lot] "Capturing & reusing knowledge" is nothing new to you, right? Many of you have attended user meetings, searching for a way to electronically share best practices within your respective environments. You've known for years that a great deal of resources are wasted by re-engineering the same problems repeatedly. The Constancy of the Wishlist: The wishlist does stay consistent. All need be done is review some randomly selected presentations from at any point in time over the last 10 to 15 years, or more. The consistent theme for well over 20 years that has been communicated repeatedly, and actually much longer in good business environments. That theme has been to "get the right information to the right people at the right time in the right context" For years and years, companies have centered their business needs around key elements considered vital to their future success: 1. The means to avoid previous mistakes 2. The means to learn and apply what has been done successfully prior 3. A method to resolve current problems quickly based on previous lessons learned 4. A way in which users at one location could learn from their counterparts at a different location 5. A means to provide best practices relative to process, cost reduction, value analysis results, and dependable measure 6. A system that provides the ability to automatically alert the proper individuals of events or situations that may be of importance to them 7. Improved decision-making throughout processes 8. More dynamic communication methods 9. A dynamic means to address compliance and accountability items ... Most important, we have to really do something to address the above through commitment and will. Any change is not easy. People do not resist change, they resist being changed. There is a difference. Change Management on the collective will always be a challenge, and will never be easy... but the only way to success is to commit and have the will to begin. I know many of you realize that I continue to uncover little sayings that have been around for eons, but here is one that applies DIRECTLY to US as KM Practitioners: "... If you understand the problem, and you understand the solution... "....then what is the "problem"?"Thank you very much for your attention. Skip Decisions to Action to Value